Abstract

Metabolic syndrome is a term, which refers to a combination of medical disorders that are associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The syndrome is more common in female than males. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients with cardiovascular diseases in Gaza and to examine the association between traditional risk factors for the non-communicable diseases and each of the component of the metabolic syndrome. We used the Adult Treatment Protocol III National cholesterol Education Programme of America (ATPIII) indicators for diagnosis and determination of metabolic syndrome. The syndrome was met if an individual had three or more criteria: waist circumference >102cm in men and >88cm in women, fasting plasma glucose ≥110mg/dl, Blood pressure ≥130/85mmhg, serum Triglycerides ≥150mg/dl and serum HDL cholesterol <40mg/dl in male and <50mg/dl in female. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 59.5%, without difference between male and female. The main risk factors for metabolic syndrome were high blood pressure (78.8% for systolic and 73.8% for diastolic Blood Pressure), large waist circumference (67.9%), high Triglycerides (78.6%), and high fasting blood sugar (86.4%). HDL cholesterol was protective but not statistically significant. The risk factors of metabolic syndrome in both sexes in descending order were as follows, high fasting blood sugar, large waist circumference, high Triglycerides, high Blood Pressure, and low HDL cholesterol. We conclude that high level of prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our study population indicates the need for an active health programme to reduce the factors influencing the prevalence. Therefore, preventive interventions must be taken seriously.